(Saturday, February 14th)

Final Score: Penn State 68, Minnesota 63

State College, PA (Sports Network) - Talor Battle scored 21 points to lead the Penn State Nittany Lions to a 68-63 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten Conference bout at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Stanley Pringle added 13 points for the Nittany Lions (18-8, 7-6 Big Ten), who put an end to their three-game slide.

Devoe Joseph provided a huge spark off the bench for Minnesota (19-6, 7-6), as he knocked down a remarkable 7-of-8 three-pointers and logged a game-high 23 points in only 22 minutes of action. He was joined in double figures by Al Nolen, who finished with 10.

The Nittany Lions held Minnesota to 6-of-21 shooting (28.6 percent) from the floor in the first half, yet they led by only a 24-23 margin at the half.

It turned into a three-point shootout in the second half, with Minnesota knocking down 9-of-15 from beyond the arc and Penn State countering with 7- of-13. But the Nittany Lions held a key 17-3 scoring edge from the foul line over the final 20 minutes, which helped them push their lead to as many as nine with 13:48 to play.

The game featured 12 ties and 16 lead changes, although Penn State held a decisive 26-11 advantage in points off turnovers.

02/14 16:58:52 ET